Opinions: Do you still write letters?
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.KAJ WALLIN, assistant to Santa Claus, Finland: There are 40 elves in the head mail office in Lapland to help Santa with his letters. We answer all letters that come to Finland. It's a very sensitive moral thing - if children have faith, Santa must write back. In our best year we had 700,000 letters.
WILLIAM DONALDSON, aka Henry Root: Root isn't based on me: I'm a very bad letter writer. The idiocies you put in letters in your twenties are hair-raising - re-reading them causes sweating embarrassment. The last correspondence I had was with a schoolgirl aged 14 who started writing to Henry Root from her convent school. I was so frightened of her I took trouble over the replies. This was around 1980.
MICHAEL FRAYN, author: I write quite a lot of letters - I find it easier to express myself in writing. The fax has made writing letters more attractive: it has the speed and efficiency of the 19th century postal system.
BEVERLEY CUDDY, editor, Dogs Today magazine: Letter writing is alive and kicking - we get an enormous postbag, about 40 per cent of it from dogs.
KEITH FLETT, BT manager and newspaper correspondent: I suppose I must write about 30 letters a week, although I haven't counted. Some people can't understand how I can find the time, but the fact is that each one only takes me about five minutes or so. I write love letters too if I've got time - well, I suppose they're kind of personal-political discussions really. But now that my girlfriend has moved to a flat about 10 minutes from where I live there's no point really.
MARK RANKIN, soldier: Yes I do. I wrote a lot in the Falklands because there was a lot of time to fill, and there weren't any phones. Receiving letters affects a soldier's morale enormously.
BROTHER ROGER, monk: Well, at the moment I'm surrounded by about 3,000 Christmas cards, but I don't suppose that counts. Oh dear, I really don't know how many letters I write a week: I suppose it must be about half a dozen. Yes of course I use the phone: contrary to popular belief monks are citizens in the latter part of the 20th century.
(Photograph omitted)
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments